Fogo Island Hut
Location / Fogo Island
Project Type / Residential
Size / 625 sf
Completed / 2024
Photography / Julian Parkinson
Fogo Island Hut is a Backcountry Hut Company (BHC) prefabricated cabin situated in the iconic coastal landscape of Newfoundland. BHC’s ‘kit-of-parts’ systems are customizable and scalable, from 50 sm to 250 sm. This project is an example of a BHC System 02 kit – 2 modules + covered deck. More information about The Backcountry Hut Company can be found here.
The Backcountry Hut Company provides both do-it-yourself and turnkey solutions to housing through the provision of a flat pre-packed assembly system with the following characteristics:
Prefabrication – the ‘kit of parts’ hut system is designed as an engineered wood post-and-beam skeleton that is then infilled with prefabricated panels. A simple nail-on window system is provided.
Ease of Assembly– the whole assembly can be erected by volunteers in the tradition of the community barn-raising process. The prefabricated wall and roof panels are sized to be lifted by hand and hoisted into place using a simple pulley and winch system.
Modular / Scalable – the basic structural module is designed as a 10’ structural increment. Modules can be combined to create increased floor area for additional sleeping quarters and living spaces.
Minimal Site Work – the system is designed to be deployed on any site that is accessible by truck and / or helicopter.
Mass Customization – there are a range of possibilities for interior fit-out options and exterior finishes.
In addition to backcountry applications (i.e. without road/vehicle access), the hut prototypes has received considerable interest from private individuals who are looking to erect prefabricated structures on both rural and urban ‘front-country’ sites (i.e. easily accessible by vehicle). Prefabrication allows for an economy and conservation of material and energy usage in the production and assembly of the building components. Each component is then flat-packed onto pallets for shipping to a location close to the site, then transported via air or off-road vehicles. Site preparation is minimal and requires no use of heavy machinery for minimal site disruption. Piling holes are hand-dug and concrete is then poured into formwork tubes to create the piles for the foundation. The Backcountry Hut company adopts a zero-waste philosophy in its design and implementation of its products.